Bushido: Paths of the Heart
by Piece of Peace
Summary: It is over a decade after the American Civil War and the setting is in Meiji Japan during the 1870's. Come and read about the stories of Relena, Heero, Duo, Himura Kenshin and others. Read and learn about their lives. Please R&R! Chapter 9 is up!
1. Chapter 1 The Land of the Rising Sun

(Hello. Just to let you know, the first three chapters will be almost exactly the same to the ones from Warriors of Today and Yesterday, an older fic I've started. But I'm thinking of re-doing it and I've made some slight changes which I hope will be improvements. If you have already read the chapters from Warriors of Today and Yesterday, I ask that you skim through this just to see what's new if I have added them. Just to let you know, I didn't simply make the changes to Warriors of Today and Yesterday itself because I do not plan on continuing it although I know I can if I wanted to. I intend for this to be something else. Well anyways, if you're unwilling to re-read everything for those of you who have already read Warriors of Today and Yesterday, just start on the third chapter. That's where I've made the most changes, even though its still a little bit. Thank you very much.)

_For centuries, the samurai have served their masters unquestionably._

_They have lived by their code of honor truthfully, and faithfully._

_Not only that, they died living by them._

_And continue to do so..._

_...even when their kind are no longer needed..._

Chapter 1

A young woman no more than seventeen years of age wearing a purple-red dress with a long skirt that extended to her ankles stood on the deck of a wooden ship which her captain called the S.S. Deathscythe. It was a caravel that looked a lot like a pirate ship from a storybook with a twenty foot mast, and three lateens. She had blues eyes whose color was as amazing as the ocean it self. Her honey blonde hair hung to the bottom of her back unbraided and untied, a way which she liked. And her face was perhaps the most breathtaking feature about her. It was as beautiful as the doves of peace. She had been staring at the sky sometime now. Her time of privacy however was interrupted. As usual.

"Hey Relena! How long are going to stare at the sky like that?" asked a young man in black shirt and trousers and was around the same age she was. He had a long three foot braid and a cheerful face with large eyes full of energetic purple. As he asked, her seemingly ever serious face was on.

"Mr. Maxwell" she said plainly. "It is rude to address me in such a way. It is inappropriate. You are to address me as Ms. Darlian. I hope my words are clear enough" she continued. This wasn't the first time that this boy had called her "Relena". Ever since she had boarded this ship a few months ago, he had been calling her that. Though she did not show it, it was annoying her. But only to a small degree.

"C'mon, we've been mates for a while now right?" he said smiling. Mates? The boy thought that they were mates? How could he think such an inappropriate thing?! Having a mate outside of marriage was a forbidden thing, at least to her beliefs. How was the boy even raised? He needed to be reformed indeed she thought.

"Mr. Maxwell, Please address me as I wish" she said with the same tone she had just used. With that, she left the deck and head toward her room. "I wish to be alone now. Please let me be" she said to him as she walked.

Duo Maxwell sighed as he saw her left. Though it didn't annoy him, he would prefer that she just called him Duo rather than "Mr. Maxwell", even if he did have to call Relena what she always asked him to do. He also couldn't help but be fascinated by her looks. He had never seen a more beautiful girl. Ever since he agreed to take her to Japan for her so-called "missionary" thing not once had she even seemed human to him. He offered her to enjoy fishing, the fun way of turning sea water into fresh water, and building things out of simple parts, whatever you could find. She refused all of those activities. He didn't know why, but she just did like it was in her nature. Well, he did have to admit that he wasn't a wonderful womanizer or anything, but he hoped that she and he could talk to each other at least. Even with all those fun activities (which themselves got boring after endless, continuous doing) it was boring at sea. With another sigh, he turned to the sea as Relena did and across the ocean was a sight for sore eyes! He had to go get Relena so that she may see it too.

Relena laid down on her bed just staring like she did earlier before being interrupted, but this time she stared at nothing. At the same time, she reflected on the things that made her come on this journey

_Thank God! The civil war had ended! News spread like the wind here. Outside the Bostonian mansion, the people cheered unlimitedly. Relena, who was only a young girl at the time was also very happy as she looked out from her bedroom window. She was happy that the war ended. It meant that daddy was going to come home soon. Last time he was here, he had told her and her mother that when he came home he would quit the army to come and live with them forever and ever. Once more, and always once more she would be in his arms again. Her mother too was excited as she was. _

_Rushing over to her happily, she asked: "Relena! The war is over now. Do you know what that means?" she said while smiling. "Yes! Daddy's going to come home and stay with us forever and ever!" Relena replied as happily. The mother embraced her young daughter lovingly and Relena returned it with just as much power. "Relena, when your father gets here I want you to be on your best behavior" she continued while smiling._

There was suddenly energetic knocking on the door and Relena got up from her bed. She had been thinking just now. Duo was always looking for some excuse to do something that included her in it. Perhaps out of boredom she supposed. "Mr. Maxwell, I asked not to be disturbed" she said as he continued to knock. "Yeah, I know, but you've gotta see this!" he insisted. Sighing, Relena got up from her bed and over to the door.

He led the way to the back up to the deck. Duo pointed over in a direction and across the seas, Relena could definitely see something of interest even as the sunlight shined brightly in front of her and had to put a hand over her face to see more clearly. There was land. More so, there was also a city. She could see pagodas, and other types of buildings she never saw before! Though she was anxious to start exploring the city, she hid the way she felt.

Gojira waited silently on the treetop in the rural areas outside Kyoto. He was waiting for a chance to mug someone and he had an exported hand gun to do the job. He didn't train much with however because he did not want to waste the few amounts of ammunition he had. Patience was all he needed.

After waiting a few hours sitting on the tree, he saw a figure walking up in his direction. Excellent. Now was his chance. He jumped down to the ground with the musket in hand. The figure before him looked like a ronin or samurai. He was a young man who had a sword in a holster strange blue eyes and brown hair that hung in long bangs over his face. Samurai were no longer had places in this world. The Meiji had abolished the title of samurai. But he didn't care what the guy was doing. Just his valuables.

"Alright sucka! Hands up! Freeze!" Gojira ordered the ronin, using his musket as a threat. But the young man did not move. "You deaf?! I said freeze fool!" Still, the young man did not move. Finally looking up to the thug in front of him, the ronin gave him a plain serious face. "Leave me alone" he said to Gojira. But Gojira did not listen. No more warnings for him he thought. After all, what can he do with a sword when he had a gun? He quickly aimed his gun and fired. "Bang!" In a flash, the man unsheathed his sword. The round that came out of the musket hit the sword which the young man used to shield himself as well as to deflect. It backfired and Gojira collapsed to the ground with a bullet stained head. The ronin continued on his journey, wherever it would take him.


	2. Chapter 2 Demonic Awakening

Chapter 2

The S.S Deathsythe docked in first pier Duo could find. As she stopped, her passengers Duo and Relena disembarked. They were greeted by a group of men in western style suits as they got off the ship and on to the pier.

"Welcome to Tokyo. Now I ask that you state your name and business" said the leader of the group. He was standing in the middle of the welcoming committee and spoke English with a heavy funny accent. "We are here to introduce your people to a new faith if we may. I am Relena Darlian and this is my companion Duo Maxwell" Relena replied back politely. The man eyed her closely. "What faith do you mean if I may ask?" Relena answered him without hesitation. "The faith of The Lord and his child Jesus. It is known as Christianity." "Ah, we will treat you as honored guests! Let us go see the emperor of Japan. I'm sure he'd like to meet you. This way" He had said those words with friendliness. But he also eyed the others in his party. He motioned his hand forward as to lead the two foreigners. And so Duo and Relena followed them. They had been walking a while as they entered the city the man called Tokyo.

Relena and Duo took the time to see what they could of the city as they walked. There were buildings made mainly out of quadrilateral like pieces with rooftops that had pointed ends. The people were dressed in clothes that looked like robes called kimonos. The kimonos they saw came in all kinds of varieties: they were blue, red, green, every other color with different designs on it. But now they had been walking too long.

"Dude, when are we gonna get to this emperor?" Duo complained. "And I'm getting kinda hungry too, so I think we should get some chow." "We shall reach his Imperial Majesty soon enough." The man said sternly. At last, they reached an evil looking building. It was black, and gray, and old looking. When they got into the room Relena guessed was "the lobby" the men left and told them to sit down on the chairs that were available.

"Man, I never thought that emperors lived in such filth!" Duo said. But Relena remained silent. Just then, the door slammed opened and men in blackish/greenish uniforms armed with muskets came in. They had their weapons aimed at Duo and Relena. Duo, who was about to unsheathe his two handguns from their holsters was left in shock as they were shot off this belt. A man whose demeanor made him look like the commanding officer had his own handgun out. He was a man with slim body size and had a droopy mustache. It had smoke coming out of its tube part. It was obvious that he had shot Duo's guns off.

"What is the meaning of this?" Relena bravely asked the men. Her stoic face now became serious. "I, Major Hamabashi Akira hereby under the orders of the Imperial Meiji Government put you under arrest" said he in English with a Japanese accent. He said as he put his gun back in his holster. "What have we done? Under what charges are we?" Relena dared to ask him. "Silence girl!" Hamabashi moved forward and slapped her in the face. She fell back unconscious, but before she hit the ground, Duo rushed to save her and caught her in his arms. He was angry.

"Coward! Hitting a girl like that!" Duo yelled at Hamabashi, but soon he himself was kicked him in the face by him. He was knocked out cold. Then the troops grabbed them and threw them in jail.

_It was night. There were cries from women and children and men. The small world around them was set aflame. Lifeless bodies were everywhere still warm. They were killed. Very recently. The only one alive stood amongst the corpses. Someone came over and shouted at him._

"_Hey You! Battousai! C'mere and I'll show you what real swordsmanship is!" shouted a samurai brandishing a sword. Then a whole corps of troops and samurai flocked behind him and charged wielding swords and spears. As they did so, the one who was addressed as Battousai unsheathed his blade and waited as they came for him. The first one who came up close to him was stabbed hard and quickly in the stomach, and then he pulled it out and made a three-hundred sixty degree movement with his sword that deeply cut the other men that had surrounded him in the throat. Then he made a leap positioning his sword behind him and gradually pulled it forward in front of him as he aimed for a samurai as he landed_

"Hey Kenshin! Wake up!" said a woman's voice. Himura Kenshin woke up from his sleep. In his eyes was a woman with a sword's sheathe. Her name was Kaoru, a young woman with blue hair and eyes. "Yes Kaoru?" Kenshin asked. As he did so, he straightened his red orange hair. On his cheek was a scar in the shape of an "X". "We're here!" Kaoru cried happily. "We're in Tokyo! At last!" Kenshin looked around the ship and it looked like they were about to dock in a pier. He looked back at Kaoru. "I see Ms. Kaoru. Thank you for letting me know" he said politely and smiled casually. They had taken a boat from home to see the new capital for a visit. They would've brought their friends with them from home, but told them traveling by boat wasn't a fun experience. Tokyo had been established as the new capital following the rise of the Meiji. It was originally named Edo.

They got off the ship. As they did so, Kenshin saw a ship that was docked next to them. There were words written on it which said S.S. Deathsythe. On it, were men wearing western style suits holding torches. From their movements, Kenshin saw that they were about to commit arson on it. He jumped on the vessel. "Please stop this" he said to them as he landed on the deck. "Hey! Get outta here or we'll beat you up! Mind your business!" said one of them. "You have no right to burn down this ship unless it is yours" Kenshin said to them. By now, Kaoru caught up to him and was ready to draw her sword. "That's it! Let's get them!" Three of them charged at Kenshin and another three charged at Kaoru. These were just a bunch of no good for nothing thugs with no real skill. Kenshin like lightning drew out his sword and just made one horizontal slash and they were down on the ground. Some blood spilled on the deck. As for Kaoru, all she had to do was make a hard, powerful slash with her wooden sword and it broke on impact on one guy. But as it broke, splinters and bits of wood shot at the other two. The splinters hit their arms, faces, and body. They screamed in pain. Remarkably, the ones Kenshin had seemingly slain were in fact alive and the same for the ones Kaoru defeated. The cuts on their stomachs were very shallow and weren't fatal but it would still hurt until it healed. "Now tell me why you are trying to burn down this ship…" Kenshin asked the thugs calmly but in a deadly tone.

After Gojira had technically commited suicide, the ronin continued his journey northeast from Kyoto. He was running without even being tired and was as fast as the wind. But somehow, he was getting tired but it wasn't because of his seemingly unlimited energy was depleted. It was something else. His eyes started to close, even though the ronin tried to resist. But soon, his mysterious exhaustion was too strong. He stopped running and collapsed to the ground. He was asleep.

_It was dark space. Where the oceans normally would be was fire. Just a few steps away from him was a figure. He was wearing black and gray armor. His face had an unusually grayish skin color, he had has his hair braided like a short erected ponytail and his beard and mustache gave him the look of someone who had a great aspiration. Someone ambitous. He spoke to the ronin._

"_You, he who bears the blood of the demons, hear me out. You are the last of the demon race and it is you who shall determine the destiny of the world!" he said in a deep voice._ _"What do you mean?" the ronin inquired the mysterious figure. The response was maniacal laughing._ _"You are no-named no longer. Henceforth, you shall be called Hiiro!" the gray skinned man said. He took off a long, large sword sheathe with a sword inside. He threw it to the ronin who caught it skillfully. "You will carve your destiny with this demonic blade, Oniken" he said. "Who are you?" the ronin asked him._ _"I am Oda Nobunaga, the Demon Lord" he answered back. Then again he started laughing manically but the ronin's vision was getting more and more blurry. Finally he couldn't see anything._

Author's note: I read that Heero meant "the 1 and only" but should be spelled Hiiro, but from now on, I'll just spell it Heero. I'm trying to describe Nobunaga from Onimusha 3 by the way. If u played that game try to picture him as that.


	3. Chapter 3 My Master

Chapter 3

The ronin awoke from his unexpected sleep. He lay there on the road where he had somehow fallen asleep. For a moment, he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered that he dreamed of that gray man in armor, Oda Nobunaga as he identified himself. He then noticed something. The sword sheathe he was given by Nobunaga was in his hand! It was a really strange dream. He took out the blade, which Nobunaga called Oniken from it's sheathe. From the moment he took it out, he felt great power flow through him. It was a traditional Japanese styled sword where the grip and the blade was slightly curved in a very thin crescent shape. It's smooth, polished silvery blade shined as it reflected sun light. After studying it, he remembered those words from Nobunaga:_ "Ye who bears the blood of the demons!...Henceforth, you shall be called Heero!...You will carve your destiny with this demonic blade..."_ The words echoed through his mind. But if this was what was expected of him, shouldn't he be given guidance? Not knowing what to do, but knowing that you should do what you can who decided to take on the name Heero.

"Heero…" said a voice out of no where. He knew who's voice it was. Nobunaga's. "You must become a true samurai and a Master you must find…" said Nobunaga. "Your destined Master is held captive in the Imperial Prison in Tokyo. Find her…and serve her…and know what path to choose from as you fulfill your duty." And with that said, Nobunaga's voice faded away, saying no more.

Heero continued on the path he was going on. After a few hours or so, there was a sign that said "This way to Tokyo." As he got closer to the sign, he felt something inside him. It was a feeling that he believed was telling him to head to Tokyo. Should he? But he knew that his instinct was the only thing he could trust. It was also something every samurai was supposed to do. He always had to rely on it. He started running on the path that led to Tokyo. As he did so, the feeling inside him started to grow stronger.

_It was time! Tonight, daddy would be home. They were going to be family again. Both her mother and Relena awaited anxiously for the mansion's rightful master. Mommy had prepared a special dinner for them. But they would not eat until he came. Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ring. Excitedly, Relena and her mother rushed to the door from the kitchen full of appetizing aroma hoping to see daddy. Instead it was a man in Union army uniform._

"_Excuse me Madam, I am Captain O'Connell. I have something to discuss with you. May we talk in private?" Relena saw as her mother nodded in consent with some worry and they both went into daddy's office. Not long after they got in, she heard her mother cry loudly. Immediately, she rushed into the office. She saw the Union army officer trying to comfort her mother as she cried for some reason. For what? Seeing Relena come in the room, he came over to her._

"_Good evening my lady" the officer said casually. He left for the door to leave. Running over to her mother, Relena asked: "What's wrong mommy?! Where's daddy?!"_ _Looking at her young daughter with a face full of sadness and tears, she began to talk through sobs. "Relena...(sniffing)..I have something to tell you...(sniffing)...Your daddy..he's..." But her mother bursted into harder tears as she told her._

"Relena!, Relena! Are you alright!" said a voice. Relena looked around her surroundings. Her vision was blurry at first, but it soon adjusted within a few moments. In front of her was Duo. But her view of him was odd because it seemed as if he was holding her in her arms...and his head looked like it was sticking out of the right side of her sight. Oh no! Relena's senses were now fully aware and she was laying down in Duo's arms! She quickly got out of them and stared at Duo with a surprised but face that was calm and mad at the same time. She thought for a moment, remembering what happened and the image of Hamabashi slapping her...frightened just by thinking of it, she went over to the side of the jail wall and sat down wrapping her arms around her legs. "What's wrong?" Duo asked her. Reluctantly, she replied: "Nothing. I just want to be alone for a while."

A while had passed and Duo decided to lie down on the floor of the jail. The way Relena had treated him during their voyage and the way she behaved just now made him feel all lonely inside. With nothing to do he thought of his past. There was that image of a dark blue haired girl with sky blue eyes. His first love Hilde Scheibiker. But she was someone long gone now. He was about to think about the good and old times they had together until someone appeared in front of the jail's bar's. He saw that it was a man with red orange hair with an "X" scar on his cheek. Duo saw as the man with his sword make inhumanly quick slashes with his sword on the bars of the jail. In no time, all the bars were cut into pieces.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" said the man. Duo got up to leave, but saw that Relena didn't move. He called out to her: "Hey! Let's get outta here!" Seeing that she was about to make no move whatsoever, he hurried over and pulled her arm and ran with the man. Relena consented by not trying to resist. They ran to a wooden wall that seemed like it had a square large enough for a door. On the other side was the outside itself. Duo could see that it was night already. They stepped outside and the man got the piece he cut out of the wooden door and put it back and it looked as if it weren't cut in the first place.

"Now let's run to the cover of the forest ahead. Kaoru will be here shortly" the man said as they ran. They waited in a spot where he told them to wait. Only a few minutes later, a woman appeared on horseback holding strings that were connected to saddles on two other horses. They got on. The man and woman got on their own horses but Duo and Relena shared. It was a good thing he was here she thought reluctantly holding on to his waist while on the saddle. He knew how to ride a horse.

They had been riding shortly in fields and it seemed safe, but then there were horses all around them! They were beleaguered now. The riders were equipped with rifles and swords. "Damnit!" Duo cursed. Since there were too many of them, there was no point in trying to outrun them. But then, out of nowhere, a young man appeared and ran around in a circle just one time and his circumference was enough for the perimeter of the horses that surrounded them. But all the riders on the horses fell down. They were dead and the horses ran away into the night.

Relena looked at the man who had come to their rescue. How did he run so fast? He looked dangerous with that big sword he wielded she noticed. But she had to admit that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Hey thanks man. Who are you?" Duo said smiling. But the stranger didn't answer. He turned from behind and looked at Duo in the face. And then he eyed Kenshin and Kaoru. Then finally, Relena. He walked over to her and bowed to the ground as low as he could his face facing the ground. "Master, I have come to offer you my services" he said. Relena sat on the horse behind Duo surprised. "Who are you? And why did you call me Master?" she asked. Unlike before when Duo asked, he now answered without wasting time and with no hesitation. "I am Heero Master. You are my master, and I shall serve you unquestionably and will die trying to do so." He answered dutifully.

Up above in the heavens, the full moon shined a glowing bright white.


	4. Chapter 4 Welcome!

(Btw, just to let you know: "Bushido"(in Chinese it is Wushidao) means "The Way of the Warrior" and "Oniken" I believe means "Demon Sword.")

Chapter 4

"I still don't understand" Relena said. "please explain to me" she continued. Still in his bow, Heero did as he was asked. "Yes Master."

_After hearing Nobunaga's directions, Heero wasted no time in trusting his instincts and went to the road that led to Tokyo. After he entered the city a few minutes later, he sensed something in a certain direction. But he didn't run as there were rather people here. Instead, he walked quickly. When he finally reached his destination, he saw that he was in a harbor. And it didn't take long for him to find his place of interest. He saw a ship named the S.S. Deathscythe docked with four men and a woman, three of which were laying down kneeling, apparently injured. He sneaked his way up, hiding behind the ship's rail and watched. "Now tell me why you are trying to burn down this ship" said the only man standing, dressed in a light purple kimono, his long red orange hair braided. "It was orders from Major Hamabashi!" one of them cried. Then the orange haired man demanded why. "He said that the Christian Missionaries were evil!" said another pissed scared. "Well what happened to them?" said the woman at last. Her eyes were threatening. "…He takes all his prisoners to the prison…that's all I know!..." said the third. "Kenshin, we have to help them" pleaded the woman to the man. "Don't worry Ms. Kaoru. We'll find them" he assured her. "Now run away" he commanded the thugs. And so they did so. "So where is the prison?" said the woman the man called Kenshin called Kaoru. "I know about a prison that was here. It may be still in use" said Kenshin. The two got off the Deathscythe and walked with Kenshin as the leader. Like a ninja, Heero followed them in their shadows, feeling his instincts telling him that he should._

"So that is how I found you Master" Heero said finishing his story. But still a confused look was still on his Master's face. "We can talk about this later, it isn't safe here" Kenshin said. "We must keep riding until we find shelter" he continued. "Do you agree Master?" Heero asked. "Alright then" she said. Kenshin led the war forward, with Kaoru following him, and Duo and Relena afterwards. Heero simply ran behind them as fast as the wind. Duo was very surprised that a human being had a physical prowess as godly as he and thought it wasn't really true, that he was not human. On the other hand, Kenshin and Kaoru both thought to be cautious with Heero around. But they thought it was ok to have him around because he worked for Relena. And Relena still wanted to speak with Heero and would wait until they had time. But she thought about how Heero had killed those men who were going to capture them. The sight horrified her somewhat now that she thought of it…

They went on for a half hour more and decided to stop at a spot that was surrounded by trees. Their camp was like an enclave. Since they didn't have sleeping bags or anything like that, they had to either sleep on the ground or the horses. And the horses had an unpleasant odor…the ground was the better place. "Relena, are you alright?" Duo asked her choosing to not use the formalities she had asked for as she lay down on the ground. "Yes, I'm fine Mr. Maxwell" she said. Duo walked up closer to her and sat to her. "Just call me Duo ok?" he asked smiling. Relena let out a sigh. 'Oh what the he-' she thought, but stopped so that she didn't say the "h" word mentally. "Very well Duo" she said giving up. But he still wanted to say more. "I'm sorry for letting that man hit you and-" "Duo. Just forget about it" came back Relena's voice. Her voice was tired, scolding, and end of story. As a result, Duo was felt frustrated a little for various reasons. He couldn't befriend a pretty girl like her, he started to feel like he wasn't important to anyone, what was happening now was reminding him of what happened last time… "Relena,…" Duo continued to insist, wanting to be able to talk some sense into her. "…you can't just always be-" he continued but was interrupted by the one who had saved them all earlier. "The Master wishes to be alone" Heero said walking up to Duo. "I ask that you let her be" said he. Duo got up, walked over to him and looked at Heero straight in the eye. Heero watched calmly and saw that annoyed and frustrated expression in his violet eyes. Loosening his eye contact with Heero, Duo walked off and lay down on the ground to go to sleep. Then Heero too did the same and it didn't take long from him to shut his eyes. He had been working all day. But his body was still working and if he had to, he could instinctively wake up and fight right away. Before going to sleep, Relena observed Duo and Heero when they made their confronting eye contact. She closed her eyes as she put the thought away.

The group made sure they got up early next morning when the sunrise was young in daily age as time was of the essence. Everyone was getting ready for the day ahead. "I know a place where we can go. Ms. Kaoru has a dojo where you can all take refuge for as long as you need or want to" Kenshin announced to the other three. "Yeah sure. You're welcome to stay if you'd like." Kaoru herself said following up Kenshin's words.

Relena, after trying to do her best to make sure that her clothes and hair were as neat as possible, went over to Heero. "Heero, may I have a word with you?" she asked him. "Yes if that is what you wish Master" he said focused. She didn't waste any time getting to the point. "I disapprove of how you killed those men earlier. As long as you want to stay with us, you are not to kill anyone under any circumstances. Am I understood?" Her tone wasn't a question. It was a command. But no answer from him came. "Am I understood Heero?" she repeated. "Yes Master" he said. She gave him a nod and walked to Duo's horse to get on it with him.

Watching his master as he got on the horse with the young man she called Duo, he thought about if he would be able to fulfill her order as her samurai. 'How was he supposed to protect her if he was ordered not to kill?' That wasn't something she had to worry about. Only he did. The masters give the orders and the samurai obeys it no matter what. Failure to do so would result in seppuku, the ritual suicide. If that time ever came, he would have to sit down, unsheathe Oniken, and stab the sword through his stomach. And then after doing that, he might also slit his throat too with a knife. But with confidence, he felt that would never come. He was the Perfect Samurai. Kenshin and Kaoru led the group through the plains with Duo's horse following behind. And closely behind Relena and Duo was Heero effortlessly jogging up behind.

They stopped at a rural inn to recuperate. It was a constituent of several cabins as though it had been put together like building blocks. By the time they got there that afternoon, all but Heero for some strange reason were very hungry. They parked their horses outside the building and went inside. It was a room with tables and a bar as well as a few stairs which would lead to the rooms. "Hello, how may I help you?" the elderly innkeeper said as he came up to them. "We would like to have five teriyaki chickens with noodles for here please" Kenshin said politely. "Right away" said the innkeeper as he walked into the kitchen telling his employees to make and prepare the requested food. Then they all took a seat at the same table. "So where is this dojo of yours?" Duo asked looking at Kenshin and Kaoru. "Its not very far from here. Its in Osaka, just another four hours of riding will do" Kaoru explained. "I see" Duo said. "So if I may ask, what is a dojo?" he said. "A dojo is a place where you learn to develop your skills in the martial arts" Kenshin explained. "Cool! Do you think you can teach me some your swordsmanship when we get there?!" he asked with puppy dog eyes. Kenshin in response laughed a little bit. "Do you really want to? You'll need patience and dedication if you hope to learn" he continued. But Duo gave his answer right away. "No prob! Nothing will stand in my way" he said confidently. "We'll see" Kenshin finished. Then a waiter came and brought their meals to them.

"So Relena, I heard that you were a Christian missionary. Is that true?" Kaoru asked while eating. "Yes. Why do you ask?" said Relena. "The Meiji do not want that kind of thing here" Kaoru answered. "Why is that if I may ask?" she said asking another question. "Well, they think it means you will be loyal to something else and not your country" she said. And Relena left it at that. What the rules were over here was not her place to decide and minded her business, though she did think that freedom of religion was something that should be allowed. Then Relena took a look at Heero who had been very quiet. "Heero, I still don't understand why you think I'm your master. Can you tell me why?" And so, Heero told his story about how he met Nobunaga, that he had told him to find her. 'Was this Nobunaga a personification of the devil? Or was it really God's own voice?' "I see" Relena said refusing to believe it if it really was the devil. She would ask later just who this Nobunaga was, but she didn't like to ask that much before trying to learn on her own.

After paying, for their meals, they once again set out for their destination. With both Kenshin and Kaoru leading the way, they finally reached the city. It was evening now. "Welcome to Osaka" Kenshin announced to his three new companions. Since it was night time, not much was happening. Relena was also very tired and didn't pay much attention to what was going on around her. Duo was anxious, thinking that his lessons would start as soon as he got to the dojo. And Heero didn't really care what was going on, as long as he was fulfilling his duty. The dojo's entrance had a big pair of two doors making one. When they got inside, Kaoru and Kenshin led them to their rooms for the night inside the residence. "Will you need anything else?" Kaoru asked Relena at her room. Heero was also present. "No thank you Kaoru. But Heero will need a room if there is another available" she said. "Sure, no problem. Alright Heero, just follow me" Kaoru said and walked out of the room. Before leaving his Master, Heero turned to look at her and said "Good night." "Good night to then" she replied. She looked at her bed and saw that it was a thin, sleeping bag on a smooth, hard, and wooden floor. 'Wouldn't provide much comfort' she thought. But she wasn't the type that would complain about things. She got in the sleeping bag and fell asleep fairly quickly as she was tired.


	5. Chapter 5 The Holiday Ahead

(Ok, I don't know where Kaoru's dojo is. But let's just pretend it is in Osaka ok?)

Chapter 5

When Relena woke up the next morning, Kaoru took her to a room with a very big and short barrel of water. And she called it a tub. So she got in and bathed as much as she could. Since she didn't have another set of clothes to change into, Kaoru kindly lent her a set of hers, a genuine Japanese kimono. And she even helped braid her hair into a ball at the back, as Japanese women did.

"Let's go to the kitchen for breakfast" Kaoru said leading her out of the bathroom. As she led Relena through the corridors of her house, she decided to take the time to take a look at the place which she didn't do last night due to total exhaustion. The hallway that they were in was plain, but was new to her. It was made of wood from ceiling to wall to floor, had a few frames of kanji on the walls for decoration, and a pretty little vase with flowers.

It led to a room with a table and other than Heero, Duo, and Kenshin who were sitting down, there were three others that she hadn't met before. One was a young man in his early teens, a slim man who wore a white pair of trousers and vest, and woman with green hair. "Good morning everyone" Kaoru greeted them. "This is Relena" she said. Each of the three strangers said hi to her and replied with a hello. "This is Yahiko," Kaoru said looking at the boy. Then turning to the next, the man in white "this is Sanosuke, but we call him Sano" and then when she turned to the woman, "and this Megumi." Relena and Kaoru took a seat at the table and started eating their meals. "Duo and myself are going to go to the fields for exercise after breakfast. Would you like to come with us?" Kenshin said inviting Heero over. If he weren't officially a samurai and still a ronin, he would've said something like 'fuck off' or 'fuck you', but now that he was a samurai, he had to be respectful and follow The Way of the Samurai, as true samurai should and always did. "Whatever my master wishes but thank you" he answered. Relena looked at him. "Why do you need me to approve?" she asked. "I only do as you say Master" he replied to her. Then he heard Sanosuke laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha! So she's the boss of you?" he said as he laughed. Heero moved his eyes over to him without turning his head. He felt insulted and wanted to cut his head off, but fortunately (for Sanosuke), Heero had self-control. Relena thought for a moment. And then she spoke. "Heero, you do not need my permission to do what you do in your life. It's your choice." And Heero remained silent.

"Relena, why don't you come with Megumi and I and to see Osaka? I think you'll like it" Kaoru said. Relena who had nothing to do agreed and left after breakfast was done. When they left the dojo's door, and started walking on the streets, Megumi had decided to try talking to Relena (as it was a girl's thing to always talk. ) "So Relena, why don't you tell us what's it like in America?" she asked her. _Memories came back to_ _Relena's mind like water being evaporated and then coming right back down at you._ "Oh…it's a nice place I suppose" Relena answered her after a few moments of thinking. "I see she said. So were you happy there?" she continued. _The memories were coming down and pouring hard like a storm of arrows, each piercing your heart._ "Please Megumi…I'd rather not talk about it" she said her eyes on the ground. "Alright, I understand" Megumi said puzzled by her answer. Trying to change the subject, Kaoru made a suggestion. "Hey. Why don't we go and see the park. I'm sure there's something interesting over there." And she led Megumi and Relena to the central park.

Heero had agreed to come with Kenshin, and Duo on their exercise at the grassy fields just outside the city, although he felt that there was no need for him to. "Alright Duo, just observe us fight to learn ok?" Kenshin said to Duo who agreed. "Heero, would you like to participate in a practice duel with us?" he said asking him in his usual polite manner. "Of course Kenshin" he modestly replied. It was decided that Heero would duel with Duo only to defend himself and nothing more after Kenshin told him a thing or two.

"Now remember that you should keep your sword in a balanced position in front of you so that is easy to move it anywhere ok?" Kenshin advised as Duo readied his practice wooden sword. Doing as told, Duo went over and tried to attack Heero, but with no intention of actually hitting him at all. Kenshin saw Heero effortlessly block and parry each hit Duo was trying to make. "Don't wear yourself too quickly" he said as Duo was making continuous series of strikes. Duo took a step back and took deep breaths.

After giving him a few minutes of rest, Kenshin announced "Now Heero attack Duo and Duo, you defend." Heero moved over and attacked Duo. He made sure that his blows were beginner friendly to block. And even if his opponent failed to parry, his sword would stop in the air. And he did that many times and only once was Duo able to defend himself. "Make sure you're calm while fighting" Kenshin called out telling him more tips. Duo, who was now too tired to go on chose to take a break.

"How about you watch Heero and I have a practice match? Try and observe closely alright Duo?" Kenshin said. "Do you agree?" he said looking over at Heero who was not at all affected by the two rounds with Duo. He nodded in consent. In response to that, Kenshin took out his own sword like lightning and made a dash at his opponent, his vision focused on Heero. But when he made his slash at where he thought he was, nothing was there. But in a spit second, he felt him from behind and turned around to face just in time block a slash personally from Heero himself.

Relena, Megumi, and Kaoru walked in the Osaka Central Park. Here there were people enjoying themselves. Kids were playing with their kites high in the windy but pleasant sky, women chatted with each other, and the men fished in the nearby pond.

"Relena, how long do you plan to stay in Japan?" Kaoru asked as they went strolling through a path. "I do not know. Am I only allowed to stay at your residence a certain amount of time?" she returned her response with a question of her own. "Oh no, you may stay as long as you need to or as long you would like" Kaoru assured her.

By chance while walking in the park, they just happened to meet a Zen monk (who actually intended to bump into them ). He was a young man with nineteen years at the most and eighteen years at the very least. He wore a navy blue and purple kimono-like tunic with a large purple piece of cloth hanging over his tunic like a scarf. In one hand that was covered by cloth, he held some Buddhist beads and in the other hand was a staff that had a scepter like top. The back of his head was tied up in a short little cue.

"Ladies! Do you know what time of year it is?" he asked the three girls, his face serious. Their silence told him that the answer was no. "Shame on you! Obon will be here in a few days. The spirits of your family and ancestors shall surely look down on you!" he continued. "Oh no! How could I forget?!" cried Kaoru. Then a sorry face came over Megumi's face. But Relena, who did not understand what was going on simply showed no expression on face. Then all of a sudden, the monk's became all friendly. "But don't be scared, I'm going to make sure that you are well off. I can order that an exception can be made for you women" he said trying to sound smooth and dreamy. Now Kaoru and Megumi looked at him in disbelief. Then his eyes turned to Relena, who still didn't know about this Obon he was talking about. "Hey, princess. I don't believe we've met" he said to her in that same charming voice. "You must be a foreigner correct? Well, I never knew that foreign women were so beautiful." Relena embarrassed by his flirtatious demeanor, took this as an inappropriate remark. "Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?" she said taking a few steps back. "Me? Well my name is Miroku. What's your's princess?" he said not changing his conduct. "…If you really must know my name is Relena Darlian, and please do not address me as princess" she scolded him. "Hey, isn't this misconduct for a monk like you?" Megumi broke in. Then came his reply. "Anything for pretty girls" he said chuckling. Now all three of them felt offended. Kaoru smacked him hard in the head. "C'mon, there's no need to listen to this hentai" she said to the other two ignoring Miroku, who writhing in pain with a large, sanguine bump on his head.

Later on, when they were alone sitting at the bench, Relena was still curious as to what Obon was. So she asked her two companions. "It's a holiday where you honor your ancestors and they come visit you" Kaoru answered. "You celebrate it by hanging lanterns in front of your house so that you can guide the spirits to you. Then later on, you sail it in the water where it'll guide your ancestors" added Megumi. "And some also perform a bon dori, a special dance" Kaoru also said, telling her more. "We celebrate it in Kyoto on August 15, which is just a few days from now. Maybe you should celebrate it with us" Megumi offered. "Yeah, it'll be fun. C'mon what do you say?" Kaoru said joining Megumi. Relena thought for a moment and remembered the memories that came falling down on her. "Yes, I will" she answered. "I will celebrate Obon with you."

It was a few hours after that practice duel between Heero and Kenshin. They had stopped when Kenshin called for a time out from exhaustion. Duo, who was now walking with them back home, thought and thought about what he had just seen. Kenshin's swordsmanship was good. But Heero's was something else. It was totally beyond human ability. _'Is he really human?'_ he asked himself. He had seen Heero disappear into thin air during the fight and left his opponent doomed (if it were a real fight). But what annoyed him was how and what was he supposed to learn from it? Surely, he couldn't have learned from Kenshin because he had barely survived, and he couldn't even see Heero when he was fighting. He decided to ask now. "With all due respect sensei, may I ask what I was supposed to learn from that?" he said looking at Kenshin. "Just simply how to block and attack properly" he laughing nervously a little bit.

Taking his mind off swordsmanship, Duo took the time to think about something else. First thing that came to mind was Relena. He knew that he wanted to talk to her, but the problem was that she seemed so hard-lined about a traditional life. And what should he talk to her about was something to think about as well. "Hey guys, is there anything exciting happening around this time of year?" he asked neither Kenshin or Heero in particular. Heero, whether he knew anything or not just remained silent. But Kenshin spoke. "It is almost time for Obon, a holiday we celebrate around this time year" he explained. "So is there gonna be a big party or something?" he asked. If there was, he decided that he would ask Relena out on a date. "No, but there is going to be a special dance at downtown Osaka" he continued. Smiling evilly to himself at the mention of a dance, Duo now knew that he could still ask Relena out to the dance. Heero took notice of his demeanor when Duo wasn't looking. Something told him that something funny was going on.

By late afternoon and early evening, the girls came back from the park and the boys from outside the city. Kaoru and Megumi were preparing dinner in the kitchen while the others along with Sano and Yahiko sat down patiently by the table in the room they were in this morning. "So watcha guys do today?" Sano asked the other guys while chewing a wheat grass on his lips. "Oh we were just introducing swordsmanship to Duo here" Kenshin explained. Then he looked at Duo. "So, did you learn anything?" he asked. Duo never lied. Ever. "Well, to be honest I don't think so" he answered Sano. And laughed. "I knew that Kenshin wasn't a good teacher!" he cried. "Please Sano, it takes time to learn martial arts" he said in an advising tone. True, Sano did know that, but he just liked to joke around and stuff. Then he looked at Heero. "So tell me, what was it like being free from slavery?" Heero boiled, but hid it under a cool façade. "It is not slavery" he tried to explain to him. "You mean 'was not'?" he said laughing a little bit. Heero answered that question too. "My Master has not dismissed me from her service" he explained, his façade still in place. "Yeah she did" Sano said choosing to joke around a little more. But Heero didn't need to respond to that. He knew that he didn't need to.

Relena watched the whole thing go on. Sano wasn't being very nice, but why was Heero referring to her as his Master? She didn't like it very much. To think that a human being could own another as property… Perhaps she should ask him about why she was who she was to him. "Heero," she began and Heero's undivided attention was now completely focused on her. "Yes Master" he responded without delay. "I should let you know that I am not your-" but the front door which was just near the kitchen, was being knocked on. "Can someone get the door?" called Kaoru's voice reaching to the table room. "I'll get it" Yahiko said. He walked out of the room to the adjacent one ahead. A moment later, he brought someone back with him. It was Miroku.

"Hello again" he said ignoring the other guys and looked only at Relena as she was the only girl present, while Megumi and Kaoru were making dinner. "I've come here to remove evil spirits from this house. Would you like my services? In return, I'd like to stay here a while provided with food and shelter" he asked smiling. "You will have to ask Kaoru" was all Relena said in disgust.

"…and so if you can capture them dead or alive, you shall be rewarded one thousand American dollars" Major Hamabashi said sitting at his office desk while eating dinner. In front of him was a man sitting in a chair. He was a somewhat slim man dressed in a suit. At his belt were a pair of handguns in their holsters. His hair stretched out erect with some fuzziness and curliness. And the Major was trying to hire him for his services. "Sure" he said to Hamabashi taking out one of his pistols and spinning it around where the trigger was. "Spike Speigal always gets the job done."

(Phew. I've been working long and hard to finish a nice (longer) chapter for you all. Hope you're satisfied. This must be the longest chapter I've done so far. By the way, in case you didn't know, Spike is from Cowboy Bebop and Miroku is from Inuyasha. Merry Christmas everyone! Don't forget to review ok?)


	6. Chapter 6 Sharing My Story

(Hey, I'm sorry for this taking a while. I almost completely chilled out during Christmas and New Year and plus I had a lot of work to do. I'm also lazy. lol Also, I would like to say that I may (or will, lol) describe or do things incorrectly in this fic as I do not have a Mt. Everest's worth of knowledge on Japanese culture, but I'll try to research if I need to. And I might also make some things up. Please forgive me if I don't tell things correctly. Also I'm changing the setting from Kyoto to Osaka. Anyways, enjoy!)

Chapter 6

And so because Kaoru was a nice person, she let Miroku stay with them for dinner, although she wasn't sure if she had made a good choice. But that feeling gradually went away as she saw that he was a polite man with manners while he ate.

"So Miroku is it? How did you know where we live?" she asked. He looked up to her and explained. "Ok, I confess to you that I followed" he said hoping to be forgiven. Now Kaoru's mood soured a little bit. "And just exactly why did you do such a thing?" she tried to ask calmly while boiling. "I don't have much to say yet" he explained. "Well then tell me what you can…" Kaoru said as she got a little more annoyed. Not wanting to be on bad terms with her as he remembered her pounding his head earlier, he gave up his will. Trying to be serious, he began. "I have reason to believe that a powerful evil spirit is in this dojo. And believe it or not, its presence is very strong…right now and nearby" he told them with eyes closed as he scanned his surroundings mentally.

Heero carefully eyed the monk who had just joined them for dinner while the others were curious of what he had to say. Was it him that's he was talking about? It could be. He hadn't told the others that he was a demon so far. Supposedly that is since he never knew that he was until recently. But if it was him Miroku was talking about, then how did he know that? Acting nonchalantly, he quietly went back to eating his meal.

After dinner, Kaoru and Megumi announced that Obon was to be celebrated very soon and suggested that they prepare for it. Relena, saw that everyone around her agreed to do so. Miroku, who was serious a short while ago appeared to forget about the subject earlier and was eager to participate. "So Relena, do you want to help out too?" Megumi asked. Since she didn't have anything to do and had some peer pressure, she agreed.

They started by making the lanterns. Kaoru got some candles and to make the candles into lanterns, and also some strings that were tied up together at the top and hung down like a falling spiral. Next, was the most interesting part. Oragami paper as the skin on the skeletal like strings. Kaoru gave everyone some circle-shaped paper and some paint and paintbrush to decorate etc., to make the skin look interesting after dinner on the table. Relena gave some thought on this. When Kaoru and Megumi mentioned Obon to her, she thought of her father, and decided to honor him for this holiday. As she held the paint brush in her hand, she tried to paint as carefully as she could a man, a woman, and a girl. But she wasn't a Renaissance artist with unparalleled talent. No where close to just good either, but she felt she was able to 'get the picture.'

"So Princess, is everything all right?" Miroku asked her standing behind leaning down and observing her artwork. Looking back at him almost startled, she replied "Yes, I'm fine thank you" she said with an agitated tone. The young monk smiled. "You don't like me very much do you?" he said not changing his position. "I ask that you please leave me alone" she said in a commanding voice. "Hey don't get so mad Princess, I'm just asking" he said stepping back. Heero who had seen what was going on from the very beginning interfered by placing his own presence.

"Please don't bother her" he said eyeing Miroku. "Well sure of course" he assented and walked away. Seeing that he was away from his Master, Heero also began to walk away back to his own seat and continue working on his own lantern. "Heero, I'd like to have a word with you" Relena said finally. Heero turned around and walked back. "Yes Master?" he asked. "I don't why you keep calling me that, but please know that I am not your Master and that you are not my property" she explained. Heero remained silent as she sat there by the table. 'Was she dismissing him from her service?' he mentally asked himself. Wouldn't it also be too early to judge him, during his brief service? "Are you dissatisfied with my service if I may ask?" he dared to even ask. At all. "Heero, I thank you for saving my life, but I don't need this servitude of yours" she began. "I can take care of myself. And no, I'm not dismissing you. I'm just saying I'm not your Master. And please, if you know what's best for you, be free. Not someone's slave."

Heero tried to pay attention to every single word she said, but he could not understand. "Please excuse me" Relena said. She got up from her seat and left with her would be lantern's skin.

Relena left to her room to think. It was during times like this that she wanted to be alone and just think. She either thought about the past, about the present, about what will happen or all three of them at once. But this time, she just chose to think about the present. Had she been too hard on Heero? She sighed. She was probably wrong to say it like that to him. After all, he did save her life. As she thought about that, she remembered her father. Heero wanting to be her slave…her father had fought to help end slavery… Too tired to think, she went to sleep to help get her mind off it.

Little did Relena know that Heero too left and went to his room as well. Once there, he sat down on the floor and meditated cross-legged and eyes closed. Though somewhat shocked about his 'dismissal', he decided to focus more on Miroku right now. If it was him he was walking about, wouldn't he have already known it was him? Or maybe he was going to be in some kind of trap later on. But thinking about him made Heero think about why he did what he did with Relena. What was it that he found so interesting about her? Getting his mind into that also made him wonder why Duo seemed a little interested in her as well. He continued to think and think about that topic distracting him from Miroku.

When Relena awoke, it was nearly midnight. The thought of Heero came back quickly to her. She decided that she would talk to him and apologize for her behavior earlier to get that feeling of regret away. It was now dark outside and the crescent moon emitted its normal pristine white, easily revealing all the grayish spots on it and the numerous stars up above in the firmament like twinkling eyes. It was clear night sky. She walked over to Heero's assigned room which was only a short hallway away inside the residence. She knocked.

"Heero? Are you awake? I'd like to talk with you for a moment" Relena said while knocking. She didn't have to wait long and Heero opened the door as soon as he could. Judging by how short the wait was, Relena believed that Heero wasn't asleep. "May I come in?" she asked. Without answering her, Heero opened the door more so that she could enter.

Once she was inside, Heero closed the door. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked nonchalantly. "Heero, I'm sorry about my behavior earlier. I just wanted to tell you that. I suppose I should explain myself" Relena said withput wasting time. Before Heero was going to open his mouth to say something, Relena already started talking. "Heero, in my country there was a civil war in which many people died. One of the reasons why the war was fought was because there were others who wished to keep slavery. But that was only one of the reasons however." She looked up from the floor and into his face. "My father fought in it. He felt that slavery was wrong and wanted to put an end to it. The war ended eventually, but my father…he never made it out alive like so many other men" she said ending her explanation. "And I also agree that slavery is wrong too. And because he died, I learned how important life is, so that's why I don't want you to kill anyone" she said also. Her listener just simply nodded. Relena went over and sat on the floor.

"Can you say something about yourself Heero?" Relena asked. "Does that mean you're accepting me as your samurai?" he asked thinking it was an order. "No, no," she answered having to smile and laugh a little bit. This was the first time Heero had seen her like this. "you don't have to answer Heero if you don't want to. I'm only asking as a friend." _A friend huh?_ With that said, Relena sat with her legs standing in front of her body and her arms wrapped around them. "I don't know where to start" he finally said. "Ok, can you say something about your parents or family or friends?" she asked. Something about that question made him surprised. But why? "No, I can't. But I can say something about myself," he began. "I was a ronin before I found you, meaning that I was unemployed. Other than that there's nothing else. But it's not important" Heero said. Relena considered his response. Maybe she was rushing him. Maybe after they get to know each other a little better, she would pursue the topic again. "I'll be going now. See you in the morning" she said as she got up and left. "Good night" Heero said to her before she left.

That next morning, Kaoru woke up from her bed excited. Today was the big day. She rushed over to everyone's rooms and woke them up and made them come to the kitchen announcing "Hey everyone! Obon is today!" "Alright, alright, we get the picture" Sano said as he yawned. "So guys, what do you suggest we do today?" Megumi asked her party. "Well tonight we will hang our lanterns and tomorrow night we'll sail our lanterns in the Sea of Japan by Osaka Bay" Kenshin explained. "So why would we sail it?" Relena asked him. "Well the Sea of Japan is in the Pacific Ocean. These lanterns attract the spirits where they'll be at peace. Quite understandable isn't it?" he said further. "Yes, I suppose you're right" Relena said. "Hey, I there's going to be a festival at town today. We should all go there!" Yahiko suggested. "Hey, that's a great idea. I think you're right" said Megumi agreeing with him. "So Miroku, will you be joining us?" she asked him out of compassion. "No thank you. I have services to perform services at the temple. Please make come by later today if you would like to. Goodbye for now" the young monk said walking out the door. "Hey so c'mon, let's go everyone" Kaoru said walking to the front door as though she were leading her troops into battle.

Everyone started the walk to downtown Osaka. Before they left, they got some lanterns and covered them with the skins they were making last night then tied it to some string and hung over the bottom part of the roof, just hanging in front of the door way. When they returned in the evening, they would light it.

"Hey Kenshin, when and where will this dance take place?" Duo asked Kenshin covertly as they walked. "Well I think they're going to have it at downtown Osaka tonight. It's at the temple. I think it'll be a good idea to go see it before we leave for home" he answered him. "Good" Duo grinned to himself.

The downtown district of Osaka was bustling. Many excited people were walking all over making the streets crowded. There were food stands, clothe stands, and agoras everywhere, creating a thriving economy as a result.

They decided to rest for a while at a water fountain with a serpent dragon spiting out water as though it were fire. It was surrounded by several bushes and flowers in the middle of cemented floor. And that itself was surrounded by three ten story pagodas from behind, one blue, red, and green. "Alright, maybe we should split up so that we could look around" Megumi suggested. "But how will we find each other if we're separated all over the city? I don't want to go looking for anyone" said Sano. "Nah, don't worry. We'll all meet here this afternoon at say three-thirty" Kaoru said. "Ok agreed" Sano said.

(Ok, thats it for now. If you haven't sent a review yet, please feel welcome to.Wait until you see who goes out with who in the next chaper! See you there!)


	7. Chapter 7 New Introductions

(Hello everyone. As of 1/01/05, I have reached the age of a two digit number! Anyways, I would like to thank everyone so far who has taken the time to read this story, even if they have or have not reviewed. Please review for those of you who haven't yet.)

Disclaimer: All characters here belong to their respective owners. I do not own them. But if (and when) I do, I'm going to make an Anime series out of this and you can see on Cartoon Network or the Anime Network.

Chapter 7

Heero and Duo walked together along the packed and vibrant streets of Osaka with Duo leading the way in just any random direction. After they and the others had made a stop at the fountain, Duo had suggested that Heero take a walk with him. _"You two just have fun okay?" _Heero remembered Relena's words to him before they left when she heard Duo ask him. Then the others left with their respective friends: Relena, Megumi, and Kaoru as one group, and Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sano the other. Heero and Duo were probably too much of outsiders to be well associated enough with either group, but somehow Relena seemed to be an exception. And he felt like he had just walked on a path with a big boulder chasing him and he had turned back the other way.

There was something about 'friends'Heero would have liked to discuss with her, and that was the reason why he would have liked to speak with Relena. But now that would have to wait. Also, for some reason Heero's smelling sense detected a foul odor that came from somewhere nearby…very nearby.

"Duo, what is it that you want?" he asked irritated. "Hey, chill out man. There's no reason to be mad. I just need some help from you ok?" his companion answered him. "What do you mean?" Duo stopped in his steps, turned around to face Heero, and walked a few steps closer to him. "I just need you to tell me what you can about Relena." The second Duo had turned around to speak to him, that very odor Heero was smelling just now tripled in strength. The smell almost gave Heero a need to vomit and taste the disgusting contents of undigested food. It was as though the smell of an epidemic of death was about him. He quickly put a hand over his nose and backed a few steps back, but some of the odor still managed to come through the small openings from his hand. "What?" Duo asked shrugging and totally unaware. Where that smell was coming from was unambiguously obvious.

Kenshin, along with Yahiko and Sano was walking by the street among the lively folk around them. "Hey, so what are we going to do?" Yahiko asked his two older companions. "I dunno. Kenshin, what do you think we should do?" he said. While taking a moment to think, Kenshin's eyes spotted a single room tent. There was a sign standing nearby it which said _'Come and know your fortune and future! Only fifteen yen per_ _question! Note: Only one question maximum per customer.'_ "Why don't we try the fortune teller?" he suggested to them. "Well alright. We don't really have anything better to do anyways" Sano said.

They walked into a tent. Inside there were many bizarre foreign items that the three have never seen before such as tarot cards, I Spy books, and what looked like a magic ball on a table. The owner came forth from the dark shadows in the back of the tent to greet them. He was a tall man with an erected beard that grew up to three or four inches. He wore funny looking clothes that consisted of a pair of pants that were shaped like round vase with a tube, a long red scarf that served as a belt and he wore a vest. With him was a lad of about seventeen years in similar clothes with long blonde hair with in bangs over his face and his eyes were dark aqua green. Their ethnicity along with apparel was very evident that they foreigners from outside Japan. They were people rare to see. "Is salaamu alaikum, my friends! My name is Rashid and this is my apprentice Quatre" he orally saluted them with welcoming words. "What is it that we can do for you? Do you want to know your fortune and future?" "Yes please" the three of them answered at once.

Relena, Kaoru, and Megumi had chosen to go together as they walked on the city streets just as the others. It was a hot, sunny, and bright day. Fortunately, Megumi had brought a yellow and not so durable-looking paper umbrella with her, which she used to shield them from the sun. Finally, Megumi brought up a subject to talk about. "Hey Relena, why did you come to Japan with Duo? Is he a good friend who is willing to accompany his princess and protect her along the way?" she asked Relena with a hint of joking. Relena blushed at the mere thought of herself getting involved with Duo in such a way. _No, she couldn't do that…even if she wanted to, it was her duty to bury such_ feelings _if she had them and stay devoted to what she has committed herself to._ But will she? _Yes, of course._ "No, its not like that all…" she said as though she had been accused of a crime. "Hey, hey, don't take it too personally. I was just kidding. But is it alright to ask why you came here with him?" Megumi said apologetically. "I just needed someone to take me here, nothing more" Relena said. "But I wonder why he's still with you?" Kaoru said. "Well…it's just that Duo doesn't seem to want to go away." "Ah ha! He must be in love with you!" Megumi said sprightly. Relena again blushed. "Hey c'mon Megumi, stop it" Kaoru scolded mildly. "Alright Relena, I'll stop it. I'm sorry."

"Hey look, there's a big weird looking tent on the side of the street" Kaoru pointed. It was indeed a big tent with red and yellow stripes with a little flag sticking on top of it. There was also a large clearly visible sign that said: _"Welcome to the circus!_ _Come and see the impossible performed today! People of all ages welcome. Admission:_ _Five yen per person"_ "Hey so Relena, do you know what a circus is?" Megumi asked not knowing. "Yes, a circus is a group of people and animals who perform together" she said explaining the general idea. "Why don't we go see it? I think I brought enough money" Megumi said. "So Relena, did they have circuses in America? Do you know if it's worth seeing?" Kaoru decided to ask. "Yes, there were a few. It's been a long time since I've last been to one." "Well c'mon lets go ladies" Megumi insisted anxiously.

"Ok, are you happy now Mr. Samurai?" Duo said to Heero as he leaned on the wall with a face as he left the bath house door behind him. Heero had ordered that Duo throw away his old clothes and was even kind enough to buy him a black kimono as fresh clothes. And this was not the first time Duo had come out today. He had come out two times prior to this time, with each of those where he did not unbraid his hair and shampoo it, and once he came back out without brushing his teeth. But this time, Heero could see that he actually did. And now he smelled clean enough. He concluded that being out at sea for so long and not bathe were the reasons why he smelled so excruciatingly horrible.

"So what is it exactly that you want from me?" he said getting straight down to business. Wanting to be on his good side because Duo wanted his help, he decided to forget about Heero making him take a bath. "Like I said, I just want you to tell me what you can about Relena" he said hoping that his questionee will agree to tell. "What do you mean exactly?" Heero said. He felt an odd feeling inside him. "Y'know, what she likes, what she hates, how she feels stuff like that" Duo explained being clearer. Heero thought for a moment and wondered if her safety would be put at risk. "And why do you want to know all this?" Duo took a seat on the small stairway to the bath house and sighed. "I dunno…I guess I'm just desperate to find someone. I'm sorry for being like this. It's just that she doesn't seem to think I'm proper enough to hang around with." Heero tried to listen but couldn't understand how felt. "Come on, while there's still time let's go find something enjoyable to do" he said walking on.

They walked to the market place where merchants both native and foreign were selling their goods on stands. "Hello there! Care to buy anything?" said a girl's voice. She was a woman who had unbraided black hair that reached her neck, good looks, and was dressed in clothes not native to Japan. Probably Korean or Chinese Heero assumed because her casual robes didn't have long, big sleeves like kimonos and she wore trousers. Beside her, was a little stand that contained various accessories and amulets, small statues of the big blissful Buddha and the mighty, long bearded Guan Yu. There were some smooth, well-crafted wooden eating utensils and plates as well, but it looked like she was almost out of stock. Duo, who was enchanted by the goods on display and went to look at it right away like a young child. Heero just stood there while waiting impatiently under a nonchalant demeanor.

Finally, Duo caught something of interest and slowly took it from the display after a minute or two. "May I ask how much this is?" he asked the girl while he was holding a brilliant jade vase. The vase had a short little dragon wrapped around it almost anaconda- style. The dragon was in snake form, had spiky scales on its back, and two whisker-like things that were near its nose. "Oh…that" she began. Her eyes were looking down. "You're the first customers I've had today. So because of that, I'm willing to give you a discount. You may have it for fifty-nine yen" she said with her eyes now back up. Duo's own eyes turned over to Heero beaming. _Please?... pretty please?_ were what words Heero read by looking at his eyes. "Fine" he said. He didn't care much for money anyway. He took out and handed her the money. "Thanks buddy! I owe you one" he said pleased with his new vase.

But Duo didn't fail to notice the sadness in salesperson's eyes. "Hey, is everything all right?" he asked out of concern. Trying to hide the way she felt, the girl looked up and tried to smile. "No, everything is fine. Please come again." But Duo wasn't buying it. "Ok lady, if this vase means that much to you, then I'll give it back in exchange for my friend's money." A few tears began flowing as she looked down on the ground again. "No, it's alright. You paid for it…" she said. Duo was able to see through that penetrable shell she had tried to wear. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong? I know something is." Finally, she began her story. "My family and I are from Beijing, China" she started telling them. "My father got in the business of photography, and we became well off from the money he made, but the Imperial Government called it black magic, and put him out of business saying it was evil. We've been through hard times ever since. We moved from here to there, and my father soon passed away. He was so full of worry…and then my mother committed suicide some years after…" She was going by quickly without pausing, and tears came through a little more easily. "…and for a living, I have been selling my family treasures, one by one. That vase is all that's left." As he listened, Duo hoped that she wouldn't go so far as to sell her own body… "Hey, I'm really sorry about what you went through…I've been through my share of hard times" he said putting a hand on her shoulder to provide comfort. "Would you like to close shop early now and come with my friend and I? We can all enjoy Obon together" he suggested to her. Duo waited for her answer.

"Alright sir, what would you like to know of? The past, present, or future?" Rashid asked Sano first. Sano thought for a moment trying to carefully choose what it was that he wanted to know. "Present" he said surely. "Ok. You may ask your question then" said Rashid further. "How does Megumi feel about me?" he asked really wanting to know the answer. After he finished saying the question, the tall man closed his eyes for a few short moments. Then he opened them. "Your Megumi has high hopes for you and waits for you to mature in your demeanor" he said. Sano's hopes now were as if crushed and sunk to the depths of space. "But don't worry, you've caught her fancy I believe." That did help raise Sano's spirits.

"And how about you young man?" Rashid said turning to Yahiko. Like Sano before him, the lad took a minute to think pensively about what question he wanted to ask knowing that only one was allowed. He made up his mind. "Hmmm…I want to ask about the past" he said surely. "Can you tell me about what my mother was like on the inside?" Kenshin and Sano soon felt pity for their younger friend. From what they knew, Yahiko's father was a samurai who had been killed on a battlefield during Meiji Restoration, leaving his young self and mother to live through difficult times alone. His mother had done her best to raise him properly and tried to be the very best mother she possibly could have been, but unfortunately, she had passed away while working as a prostitute for a living. Rashid closed his eyes and spoke as he did so. "Your mother was a woman who lived a troubled life. And she tried to risk everything for you. She made a sacrifice as a good parent should have done. Surely you know this?" he said trying to hide the unwanted details. "Yeah. I just wanted to test you if you were for real or not" he explained.

Satisfied that he had done his job correctly, the tall man turned over to face Kenshin. "And you sir? Would you like to ask something?" "Yes please. I would like to ask about the future" he answered trying something different from his two other friends. "Alright. You got it. But why don't we let Quatre give it a try?" Rashid suggested. Quatre stepped forward. "Ok, if that is what you'd like" he said giving Kenshin a friendly smile. He closed his eyes just as Rashid had done. "So you would like to know your future right? I see you will meet a demon?...A demon who…" Quatre said unfinished not believing it. He opened his eyes. "Is everything all right Quatre?" Rashid asked him. "Yeah…" he said confused. "I'm terribly sorry, but my apprentice is still a learner. Perhaps I should tell your future for you" Rashid suggested to Kenshin. "No, no it's alright. But can you tell me anything else about this demon?" he asked them. Quatre spoke. "A demon who must protect someone or something very important to him…" Quatre tried to explain, but again was still unsure of his own words. "It's alright, don't worry about it" Kenshin said not at all concerned. As long as he knew what was going to happen, he can prepare.

He reached for his wallet to give Rashid and his apprentice Quatre the money they owed. But Rashid put up a hand refusing to accept the money. "Quatre and I have been looking forward to seeing the temple festival for Obon since we heard of it, but we've been quite busy looking after the shop and therefore had no time to find it. If you can lead us to the temple now after we close, I'll waiver the price."

Fortune had been kind to Relena, Kaoru, and Megumi when they paid for their admission. They were able to get front row seats on the very large circular seats with another even bigger one around it, making it look like a target sign if looked up from high above. At the center of the small coliseum was the ground floor, the performers had performed along with their animals, some of which weren't native to Japan such as a lion, or an elephant. There was one event where a girl dressed in a flashy dress threw knives at a young man who Relena explained to her friends was a clown in front of a big cardboard board and was able to miss by a centimeter each time. But many of the girls especially those sitting up front close to the phenomenon gave their aw's and other girly expressions when they saw that the clown who wore a mask that half covered his face and had long bangs cover his face almost up to mouth also.

"Well, I never knew that circuses were so wonderful" Kaoru said as she and her friends were walking to the tent's exit. "Hey, what do you say we talk to those foreigners? It's not often that you see them" Megumi said. "Yeah sure! Why not? What do you think Relena?" Kaoru agreed. "I…don't think that this is such a good idea… They aren't going to allow visitors into their rooms and such" she answered Kaoru. "Oh come on you! It won't be so bad. Let's go" Megumi said started walking around outside looking for someone from the troupe. Because Kaoru already thought that it was a good idea, she went along and Relena too but only because of peer pressure from her friends.

They followed Megumi outside of the giant tent and found her standing right near an animal that looked one of those used in the performances. It looked a cat on steroids, big and muscular, and hair surrounding the face from the chin to its head. And it was what Relena had grown up calling a lion. But the funny thing about was lion's position as it lay awake; it was laying down on one side instead of on its stomach and legs like cats normally did. "What's wrong?" Relena asked seeing Megumi's skeptical and puzzled expression. "I think there's something wrong with animal…" she answered with her hand under her chin.

"Can I help you?" interrupted a voice from behind. The three of them looked back and recognized him as the young lad who was used to throw knives at earlier. Seeing him up close and without the half mask, the clear image of was: he was a good looking boy with long mild hair that had bangs that covered half his face, slim but well built body, and green eyes. And with him was that girl who had thrown the knives during that performance earlier.

"There's something wrong with this animal" Megumi said to them. "With Mark? He's been feeling ill for a few days now" said the girl. The boy walked up closer to the three girls and kneeled down and looked at the lion, which the girl called Mark. "What do you know then?" he asked. "Well, this Mark is going to need treatment. He has a cold" she explained. "But how do you know that?" asked the girl. "See how he's shivering? And that sick look on his face?" Megumi said. "As someone who has trained to be a doctor for several years now, I am somewhat fluent in this kind of science" she further explained. "Well do you suggest we do?" the boy asked.

(Ok, I have finally finished this chapter and it's my longest chapter yet. Once again, I would like to thank those who have taken time to read my story. Got a question? Would like to make a suggestion or a correction? Or make a comment? Then please send a review. Thank you.)


	8. Chapter 8 The Vajrapadma Temple

(Btw, just in case you don't know, Kenshin, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Megumi, and Kaoru are from Rurouni Kenshin.)

Chapter 8

Megumi was mixing herbs and various liquids together in a test tube trying to make medicine for Mark while standing in one of the circus' tents by a table. She had asked Relena to go get some milk to go with the potion.

In time, she successfully returned with a full, fresh bottle of it. "Here you go Megumi" Relena said handing it over to her. "Thank you." She took the bottle and poured it in the test tube. "Do you have a moment?" she asked Relena, who had already started walking away. "Uhm, sure. What is it?" she answered. "I'm sorry for joking the way I did earlier" explained. "Yes, I know that. Will that be all?" "No. I was also hoping that we could have a little 'girl' talk. Would that be alright?" Megumi said asking another question. "Alright. What is the matter?" Relena asked curiously. Megumi took a sigh before speaking. "You know there is man that catches my fancy. His name is Sanosuke." At the mention of Sano, Relena thought of the man who had acted immaturely with Heero yesterday. "I know that he's a jerk sometimes, but he does have a strong sense of character and justice" Megumi continued. "but he never really seems to notice me. And by that, I mean have no interest in me. So for Duo to actually do something for you, well it just made me think you were lucky." At that last sentence, Megumi turned her face from her concoction to look at Relena. "I'm sorry to hear that" she said honestly. But Relena wasn't someone who often listened to lovelorn people's stories and give advice to them. First of all, she wouldn't be able to give any because it would be forbidden for her to have an intimate relationship with anyone, so how could she know anything about it? Relena put a hand on Megumi's shoulder hoping that it would help soothe her. However, in response, she looked back at Relena comically and questioningly. "Uh thanks Relena, but I'm ok. I don't have a bleeding heart" she said smiling.

"There, you see? Everything will be better" Megumi explained confidently leaning down to smoothly pat Mark. Mark was now resting peacefully on the grassy ground on his stomach like a normal cat would and his with his head leaning on his front legs. She had used her serviceable knowledge on medicine to help the lion using only everyday home staples. "Just make sure he takes his medicine twice a day, one in the morning and one at night" she added further to the girl and boy. "Thank you Miss Megumi. We owe you very much. By the way, my name is Catherine Bloom and this is my friend Trowa Barton. What are your names?" "My name is Takani Megumi. Pleased to make your acqaintance" Megumi said. "Hello. I'm Kamiya Kaoru" said Kaoru. "And my name is Relena Darlian. A pleasure" said Relena finishing the introductions. Catherine was a girl in her late teens with cinnamon red/brown hair that was in a style in which her hair reached her neck and was curled at the end. She had an eye color that was between gray and blue and was dressed in her westerner's clothes as was Trowa right now. His was a black turtleneck with a pair of trousers. "Will it be alright to just him sleep on the ground like that? Won't it be dangerous?" Kaoru asked. "Oh don't worry about Mark. He's harmless once he gets to know you" Catherine explained.

"Say, do you by any chance just happen to know any exciting events taking place today? Right now, Trowa and I have the rest of today off" Catherine said. It would be a shame to not do anything on such a special day. "There's going to be a special event at the temple. A monk personally invited us over to go see. Would you like to come with us?" Kaoru offered them. "Sure. Do you know what's going to take place over there?" "That famous temple dance for Obon will be performed today. It'll be a treat to see" Megumi explained. "Cool" the circus girl said. "So Trowa, would you like to come with us?" she asked. From what the three girls could see, he wasn't someone who spoke that much. After a long moment, the boy finally answered. "Might as well" he said. "We would love to take you with us, but before we go we have some friends to meet up with" Relena pointed out. "That's alright" Catherine said not minding at all. "we can wait a little bit."

Heero, Duo, and their new companion Shuibao were enjoying themselves playing games at the carnival in Osaka Central Park. Or rather more accurately, Duo and his new companion Shuibao were enjoying themselves playing games at the carnival in Osaka Central Park. Heero just simply stood by in the background acting nonchalantly, but annoyed waiting for Duo and his new friend to finish up goofing around.

_A/N: The name Shuibao (SHWEE-BOW) should mean "Water Jewel." __水__, shui (water)__宝__, bao (jewel, gem) Is there an error here at all if I may ask?_

They were now playing with bows and arrows trying to hit targets from a stand. And it cost money to play too, but luckily, the price was relatively cheap. However, when added all together… "Hey Hee-chan, can we each have another yen to play basketball hoops?" Duo asked after he and Shuibao finished with their bows at a booth. In response to Duo's very intimate form of addressing him, Heero gave a silent death glare that hit like a whip. "Whoa, whoa ok, chill out… just asking for some money" Duo said chuckling nervously as he was hit by the look and stepped back with his hands in front of him as a defense. Shuibao moved up to him. "Duo, I think your friend has been kind enough for giving you money for that vase and the several other games we have played here. Perhaps we should go now like Heero wants to" she said quietly to him. He nodded back to her. While en route to that dragon fountain from earlier, Duo spotted the carnival and dragged them along with him. Duo and Shuibao managed to enjoy themselves, but Heero, well it was obvious if he did or not.

After leaving the carnival, the three were back on the streets en route to the fountain. Throughout the whole walk so far, Heero had remained silent, not saying a single word to neither of his companions. Shuibao, who had noticed this decided to talk to him. "Uhm…Heero, thank you for what you have done" she said looking at Heero from behind. Not turning around and still walking on, he replied back to her. "Don't thank me. Thank him" he said to her using the pronoun to refer to Duo. _'Well that was_ _rude'_ Shuibao thought. Still not ready to give up she continued. "Heero, I know we just met, but if there's anything you would like to talk to me about, you can talk to me if you'd like. Talking about it with a friend can help as I did with Duo" she explained. _'That_ _word friend again'_ Heero thought. It must be a popular noun in society. '_If only I had been a part of one…' _"I'll remember you said that and thank you very much" was all said. _'Just what is his problem anyway?'_ Shuibao thought as she wondered about his secretiveness.

"Sure, we'd be happy to take you along with us" Kenshin said to Rashid accepting the offer. "My name is Himura Kenshin, these are my friends Myojin Yahiko, and Sagara Sanosuke" he said introducing them to Quatre and Rashid. "A pleasure to meet you" said Rashid. "Nice to meet you" Quatre said.

The five began their stroll through the streets together after leaving the tent and chatted with each other neighborly. Rashid and Quatre had explained that they were from a land quite far from Japan during their conversation. They called their homeland Morocco, which was on another continent called Africa. They also noted that they were impressed with Japan's ability to stay an independent country despite foreign presence, so unlike their own where it was run by the French, foreigners from another continent named Europe. They also said they traveled through a desert called the Sahara from the Moroccan city of Casablanca, then made a stop in Cairo, Egypt, a British Colony. They set sail from there to the Red Sea along the Arabian Peninsula while on the Arabian Sea, and after that, they disembarked at Karachi, a port-city in British India. Next, they sailed down south to Colombo, Ceylon an island colony and it too was under British rule in the Indian Ocean. Then they continued on sailing to yet another British Colony, a small island city named Singapore. Then they sailed up north to Bangkok, the capital of a kingdom called Siam. It was the only place where they stopped other than Japan and China that was an independent country said they. Then after that, they stopped at one more British Colony, an island off the coast of southern China called Hong Kong. They took a boat and sailed up to Shanghai from the South China Sea. From there, they sailed through the East China Sea and finally to Japan. They finished their story saying that it took about six and a half months to travel all that distance. When Kenshin asked why they would travel all that distance just to get to Japan, Rashid told them that it was for 'freedom'.

Finally, the five reached their destination at the dragon fountain in front of the three pagodas behind it and saw that the others had already made it and were waiting for them. By the time they got there, the sun was already beginning to set, making the sky shine a slight golden orange. There were other people with them too they noticed, just as Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko had brought with them the two fakirs. They were all talking with each other.

"Hey! It looks like you brought some friends over too" Duo said to ones just coming over. He was standing near a girl they haven't yet met and she later introduced herself as Shuibao. And now Duo was wearing a black kimono. Everyone said hello to each other and introduced themselves and then they were on their way to the temple. Megumi and Kaoru, since they lived in Osaka, led the way.

While walking, Heero thought about if it would be a good idea to ask Relena now about their friendship. But the fact that there were other people made him feel a bit nervous so he hesitated. "So there's something you wanna ask huh?" Duo asked softly to him as he walked with Heero. Heero didn't reply back. "I still think you do y'know" continued Duo not at all annoyed by his rudeness. "and I can see it your eyes." He just continued walking ignoring him. "So Heero buddy, if you ever have a problem, even with the ladies, just ask your friendly, neighborly, resident Duo ok?" the braided young man still continued. Heero still continued to ignore Duo's words while they he walked. _'Alright Heero, be like that. But sooner or later you'll be ringing at my doorstep for some help'_ Duo thought as he grinned.

After at least a half hour of walking, the group finally reached it. The great temple was surrounded by a gray brick wall and had an open steel gate in front of the façade and was composed of a few buildings and pagodas with a very big one in the center. Its exterior was breathtakingly majestic- a white stone path way from the gate to the front door under a floor equally white, a front entrance with two fully colored and detailed serpent dragon statues on the floor for protection from evil spirits, and a three-dimensional triangular rooftop with each of the six sides curved and shaped into a little dragon.

Above the main entrance, was a sign on the wall that read: _'Happy Obon! Welcome to the Vajrapadma Temple!'_

My translation for _Vajrapadma_ by the way is 'diamond lotus', which is a word I have created using the Sanskrit words _Vajra_(diamond) and _padma_(lotus, more specifically the pink lotus, which is the supreme one out of all the others). I thought this would sound good because Mahayana Buddhism is practiced from Tibet to Japan and its sacred language is Sanskrit. Also, a lotus is an auspicious Buddhist symbol. I wasn't able to find a general Sanskrit word for lotus, so I chose_ padma_ because I thought it sounded better than the other words when cobined with _Vajra_. Does anyone know a better word or translation?.

Please read and review everyone!


	9. Chapter 9 The Cowboy 'done'

(Hello everyone. Just to let you know, if you or read anything here at all whether it be here or any previous chapters that needs work, then please let me know so then I can correct something or improve it. Thank you. And thank you to those who have read so far. And thank you very much for continuing to read this fic if you have Crystal Gundam because I often feel likepeople hardlyreads my work.)

Chapter 9

The Vajrapadma temple was vibrating with life at sunset and people began to attend for the big party now taking place, which was both inside and outside the temple. Everyone split up and wandered around. Relena, curious to learn more about the customs and traditions of the Japanese was being toured by Megumi and Kaoru and was being accompanied by. Duo, for once leaving Heero alone left off in the vastness of the party with Shuibao. As for Kenshin and Sanosuke, they went inside the temple to meet a friend of theirs while Yahiko went off to enjoy the party outside thinking he was old enough to. Rashid, Quatre, Catherine, and Trowa, not wanting to burden the three that had taken them there decided that they would explore the temple and learn about the culture here separately. As for Miroku, well he was just about to make his appearance right now.

Miroku walked around the campus of the Vadrapadma keeping an eye out for 'things' to play with. He smiled to any girl around his age and even dared to make a move on those whom he felt was attractive enough. But all of them rejected him, surprised that a monk would even think about flirting, especially with women. Hungry, he went over to a stand that said 'Hot dogs for sale'. He had heard about hot dogs before, a food from the west and wanted to try one. He bought one and put a odd looking yellow sauce that the salesperson called 'mustard' and a little square cut up pickles which the westerners called relish. He tasted it finally and thought it was delicious! The mustard gave the hot dog a spicy flavor and the relish made it sweet! After finishing it, he spotted Relena, Kao, and Megumi walking around. By the looks of it, they were heading for inside the temple.

"Hey, so you three came!" he called over waving his hand to them. They turned over to face him and greeted him back.

"Hi Miroku. By the way, when will you remove the evil spirit from my house?" Kaoru asked. Nervously, he stood there thinking of something to say. "Uh,..I'll be there right away as soon as my...uh…duties for today and tonight are finished ok?" he answered them chuckling.

"So what have you been doing all day?" Kaoru asked. Miroku thought for a moment to think of something 'acceptable' to say.

'Uh…just helping the temple prepare for the festival. So, what are you three doing right now?" he asked.

"We were just about to give Relena a little tour around here" Megumi explained. A thought hit Miroku. He could do the touring couldn't he? For Relena? Of course he could!

"Why don't you two go enjoy while I kindly take the burden of giving the tour for Relena?" he asked them. The girls who already knew enough about Miroku's nature refused. "But I bet you don't even know anything about this place" Miroku said proudly, his arms folded. Relena, because it was her first time here had no reason to be ashamed. But Kaoru and Megumi couldn't hide the fact that they didn't come here often. Miroku knew it to be true. Since it was his home and the fact that he had to abide by the temple's rules for monkhood (well somewhat…hehehe…), he had stayed often and as far as his memory could trace back, never saw either Megumi or Kaoru. Knowing that, Miroku thought of an even better idea. Three times better.

"I could give all three of you a tour in this temple, and I'll even be nice to show you areas that I normally wouldn't show others"

They refused and went about their business and ignored him as they did so. Miroku still didn't give up and undiscouraged went about continuing. While walking around, he saw a chick that he felt was quite pretty enough. Long silky hair braided up, young, glowing dark eyes, and one helluva radiant smile. Yeah.

After taking a quick look around outside where the party was taking place, Heero went inside the temple hoping to see something more interesting. He noted how Duo and Shuibao had taken an interest in each other. And for some reason, Heero was sure Duo had lost whatever interest he had in Relent very recently.

As most Mahayana temples were, this was very decorated inside with jewels and ornaments and precious metals. He despised the luxury he saw. Why did these monks who had devoted themselves to Buddhism desired such material value? This couldn't be a path to enlightenment at all if you kept desiring these kinds of things.

"Care to make a donation to the temple?" asked a monk walking up to him. He held a bowl that was stuffed with yen notes and coins. _'What a fool.' _Not wanting to be a rude guest, Heero reluctantly took out a few coins and placed it in the already full bowl.

He walked to the temple's cafeteria and there were people partying and feasting on the ambrosia prepared specially for today. Since he hadn't eaten since breakfast, he decided now would be a good time to eat. Getting a plate, a pair of chopsticks, he put a combo of noodles of rice, vegetables, noodles, chicken and beef and got a cup of water. Heero went over to a table and sat down.

Little did he know, a pair of eyes were watching him as he ate.

"So he was reborn many, many times over and over?" Relena asked staring curiously a statue of a man with several arms on both sides. "Yes, that's supposedly true" Kaoru explained. They had been walking inside the temple together until Megumi saw Sanosuke and wanted to go see him. They let her. Later on as they did so, Relena saw a statue she was looking just now. "His name was Avalokitshvara and he's one of legendary Bodhisttvas. First, he was born as a male in India, and in his next life he was reincarnated as a Chinese girl named Guan Yin, who was also a Bodhisattva" she continued on. "So what does your religion say about life and death?" Kaoru asked her. "Oh, well if you've been a good person, you go to heaven, but if not, then you go to a place which I shall not utter" Relena explained because she would be sinning if said 'hell', or even mentally think it. "I see" Kaoru said a bit puzzled.

The two continued walking on and were now sightseeing in the temple's exterior where people stood staring at the now slightly darker evening sky. But now, the sun's remaining time to stay up was shining radiantly and passionately as a bright red orange.

"Relena?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Have you…have you ever…been in love?" she asked as she stared at the early evening sky.

"Well…no" she answered.

"Have you ever met an interesting guy?"

"…no…" Relena answered.

"I think you need a life Relena!" Kaoru said shocked but giggled. Since she had asked her, Relena decided to ask what Kaoru had.

"Well, Kaoru what about you?" she asked her. At that, Kaoru's eyes lit up and her hands were held together. Yes, she could picture a dreamy Kenshin, strong and clearly in her mind. "Have I?..." she asked as though she were dreaming a girly kind of day dream. "Yes, of course" she said now being more mature. Relena nodded. After a few moments of silence, Kaoru saw that she didn't seem interested for some reason. "Well, aren't you going to ask me about it?" she asked her not expecting Relena's disinterest in it. "Well... not unless you'd like to…" she answered not really understanding what Kaoru was getting at.

"Am I interrupting?" asked a voice. The two girls turned around behind them and saw that it was Quatre. "Of course not Quatre. What is it?" said Kaoru. "I'm very sorry to say but I just happened to be around and overheard you a little bit" he explained. Kaoru's friendliness gave way to a short temper. "Why I oughta…" she said as she tried to step forward to give Quatre a smack on the head as she had with Miroku, but Relena had a hand around Kaoru's arm restraining her. She cooled off not too long after that. "Well, what is it that you want?" she demanded still having some annoyance left in her because of Quatre's violation of her privacy. "I'd very much like to hear what you've to say, that's all." "Huh? Why would you be interested in that?" Kaoru asked. "Because… I know what it's like to love someone, but have to… keep it a secret" he said to them. Kaoru was surprised that a guy would actually talk like that and Relena, who now had an idea of what she was talking about was also surprised as well. "Ok…but you tell us your story first" she said willing to accommodate Quatre along with herself and Relena.

"Hey, partner how's it going?" asked a stranger. Heero turned around from eating and saw that it was a westerner with brown fuzzy hair, a slim and tall body, and wore a Japanese poncho over himself. On his head also was a Vietnamese straw hat. The westerner took a seat across him on the table. "What do you want?" Heero asked wasting no time. "I don't see many good fighters around here or back in my country. I'd like to have a duel with you so I have an opportunity to learn something" he explained. Heero felt something inside him, but was it good or bad? He was sure it had something to do with this stranger. "What makes you think that I'm a good fighter?" he asked as though he weren't paying attention and continued eating his meal. "I'm a fighter myself you know" said the westerner. "so I know that unique look about you tells something, and plus you've got a sword on you too" he explained. "By the way, the name's Spike Speigal. What's yours?" the westerner greeted. "My name is unimportant" Heero said not really trusting him. "and as for your practice duel, I'm sorry but I'm not available" he said. "Oh? 'Tis a shame" Spike said. "I was hoping for one."

As soon as he finished those words, Spike unexpectedly and seemingly as fast as light punched Heero in the stomach from under the table. He aimed his blow carefully so that it would result in Heero passing out. And it did. Taking all the time he could in his fractions of moments left to stay conscious before collapsing, he stared at Spike. As expected, Heero's eyes closed shut and his head was on its way of slamming his head on the table, but Spike quickly caught it. Some people had seen the part where Heero passed out, but he made sure no one saw him make the blow. "It's ok people, my friend here just had a little too much sake, so I'll be bringing home" Spike said to the bystanders as he put Heero over his shoulders carrying him.

Thanks for reading! And please, pretty please review, especially if you haven't done so yet.


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